NEW DELHI: In a development which can be seen as a voice of dissent by civil servants facing vindictiveness and harassment for doing their duty honestly, Indian Forest Services (IFS) officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, donated the money he received from the Centre in compliance with the Uttarakhand High Court order settling a dispute over adverse entries made in his appraisal report to the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

Following the donation, Chaturvedi, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requested the PMO to create a special fund to “help out those honest civil servants who have been subjected to similar vindictive actions/harassment, at least to bear their legal expenses and to compensate them.”

Chaturvedi also questioned the spending of public money on such ‘vindictive’ litigations and harassment. The letter dated August 23, 2019, to the PM stated, “This gesture from the highest office of the land, will give them a sense of security, who otherwise are fighting a difficult battle at their respective workplaces, at great personal risk and costs.”

Chaturvedi, who also won the 2012 Ramon Magsaysay award, is currently posted in Haldwani of Uttarakhand as a conservator of forests (Research).

Chaturvedi had also earlier donated the money he had received from the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

The letter also quoted the nation’s first union home minister and Deputy PM Sardar Vallabh Patel, about his view as to how there can be no united India if public servants are not allowed to speak their minds without fear and independence.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) formally accepted the donation by the Indian Forest Services officer in its reply dated September 6.